


What it's like

by mmg13



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2018-12-23 04:48:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11982495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mmg13/pseuds/mmg13
Summary: Relationships are hard. You're gonna have your ups and downs but in the end there's no one you care about more. Now imagine that said person spends every night jumping off rooftops and going after criminals who have no intent on going easy. An autobiography on what it's like dating a superhero.





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so I had this little idea a few days ago and thought it would be fun to write. I don't know how many chapters its going to be but if you guys have any ideas on what you want it to be about just let me know. Let me know what you think!

**CHAPTER ONE-INTRODUCTION**

Relationships are one of the most simple yet extremely difficult things in the world. Just think about it. You're two completely different people with different ways of living yet somehow you came together in a world with billions of other people. Why? I'd like to think destiny has something to do with it. There's a bit of luck in there too. 

When I first met my boyfriend, he lied to me. And when I saw him again, he did the exact same thing. It was what seemed like an endless cycle. He'd come to me, I'd listen to him, he'd feed me some lie to get me to help him, and then flash his smile and leave. I even knew he was lying. 

That leads to another thing. Now I could have called him out on it. Told him I knew he was lying. Ask him to tell me why. But for some unexplainable reason, I trusted him. I trusted someone who did nothing but lie. I trusted him so much I actually told him about my little dilemma. Met for a late night dinner. 

You see, I was having another problem of my own. My boss which happened to be his step-father asked me to look into something for him. Turned out I finally needed to come to him for a change. 

So there I was trusting someone who was basically just an acquaintance with a huge secret. I even asked him why I trusted him. He said he "just had one of those faces". There was that charm again. He told me I could trust him and I think that was one of the first things he ever told me that I believed.

Again, don't ask me why. But thank god I did.

That was one of the most confusing weeks of my life. I spent everyday at work waiting to go home and take a nice warm bath and sip on a glass of red wine. It wasn't the red wine he had promised me, no I got that a few years later, but it would do. But when I went home I started thinking about-everything. I can't remember a single thing I wasn't thinking about. So whenever I went home for the day I wanted to go back to work; get my mind off things. 

The things my boss had me looking into kept me busy but even then I couldn't stop thinking about him. Thats what you get when you live in a building with his name on the side of it.

Anyways, I saw him a few more times during the week. Talked to him about the list; that was what my boss had given me to look into. He had always been a bit apprehensive when I discussed it with him. I found out why a few weeks later. 

There was this one time I had walked into him outside of work. Yeah, I was out shopping for some new clothes. Thought that would occupy my mind for a few hours. I had saw him in one of the stores I had went to. 

I don't think he wanted me to see him but I had. I didn't think much of it at the time but a few years later, when we finally started dating, he told me what he was doing there.

That list I was trying to find out more about was connected to some pretty bad people, and he knew it. He had been keeping an eye on me for a few weeks.

Now that was the first and only time I had noticed him. The man could practically be a shadow if he wanted to be. But something was different about that day. I had went up to talk to him and he had this look on his face. He was actually nervous. A man who I had only known to be the most confident and charismatic man on the west coast looked-nervous? I didn't really think about it at the time but looking back on it now I realized something. That was the first time he let his guard down around me. He usually had this charming playboy persona coming off of him. He was the kind of guy I thought wouldn't give me a second glance but here he was-talking in sentence fragments?

Our conversation didn't last long. He had things to do. But during it he had subtly mentioned I should be careful around people at work. I know now he didn't trust some of the people at his families company but at the time it had made me even more confused.

He actually cared about me?

I mean sure he was a nice guy but he I thought he was just like that around most people. It had my mind doing summersaults trying to think of any reason why this guy, who happened to have about six girls throwing themselves at him daily, seemed to care about me?

I had these plans of doing a whole Star Wars marathon when I got home that night after I had went back to work. Turns out those plans kind of got ruined. I happened to have other plans on what would turn out to be one of the most important days of my life.

It's not every day you find the future love of your life shot and bleeding in the back seat of your car.

 

 

 


	2. How to be an On-Call Doctor in a Few Easy Steps

**CHAPTER TWO- HOW TO BE AN ON-CALL DOCTOR IN A FEW EASY STEPS**

I had done some pretty questionable things in college. Had this whole goth thing going for me believe it or not. My friends and I would meet up and do some things that were not necessarily legal. It was all in good intention though! Well except that time I sent a virus to all of Ashley Hew's electronics. She was a pain in my ass all of high school. Without access to any social media she must have gone nuts. But other then that I was all about helping the little guy. I guess you could say it was my first attempt at being a hero. It didn't end so well, but thats a story for another time.

The point I'm trying to make is, after everything I had went through, nothing-and I truly mean nothing-could have prepared me for what happened the night I found out about Oliver Queens little green secret. Along with the huge shock that my boss was in fact the Starling City (that was what it was called back then) Vigilante came the breaking of several laws. I had made a few pretty big morally questionable leaps that night.

For starters I must have gone 30 miles over the speeding limit. And I also probably ran seven red lights. Whoops. I had gotten very lucky that night. It was a pretty intense night, what with my boss being The Hood and also happening to be knocked out in the back seat of my car. Now on almost any other night I wouldn't be dumb enough to be doing any of this. If I was pulled over by the cops we were both kind of screwed. "Hi, yes officer I know I was going pretty fast but there's a guy in the backseat about to die and no I can't really call 911 cause he's kind of a criminal right now. Also we're not going to a hospital. You think I can get a pass for that whole going to jail thing?". Yeah that would not have ended well. So what I was doing can be considered dumb but let me recap again. We have my boss. He's been shot and bleeding in the back seat of my Mini Cooper. He also happens to be one of the most wanted men in the city and even though he is  _dying_ he wants me to take him to a steel factory instead of, ya know, a hospital.

I think those are pretty good reasons as to why I was not thinking very clearly. 

Oh and to add to the charges I would have gotten that night if I had been caught, I was aiding and abetting a criminal. I mean sure he was on the verge of death but still counts.

So I have this guy who just happens to trust me enough to A) tell me who he really is B) show up in the back of my car and oh yeah C) put his life in my hands. Someone who has literally no idea how to perform an emergency medical procedure. It wasn't like I had gotten any warning. No sign from the universe saying "Hey I hope you're having a great day! Also prepare yourself cause some guy is gonna come to you later today to save his life. Oh and it's your boss. You know that guy you kind of have a crush on, yeah thats the one. Also remember to pick up your dry cleaning. Its ready for you".

I have lived through a lot since the moment I found out Oliver Queen was The Hood. Really, a lot. That however was the first time of many I was truly scared for him. Sure, I barley knew him but for some reason he's coming to me and trusting me with his big secret. I now had to save this guy's life on top of that. So yeah I was scared for him. Because he had told his secret to the one person in the city who honestly had no clue what to do. This guy could literally die in my car. That one would be hard to explain to the police. 

All in all it took about ten minutes to get to the steel factory but it seemed like ten hours. Thats when I realized I couldn't lift this man out of my car.  _Shit._

But again, I got super lucky. Now at this point I was freaking out. So of course the world decided to finally throw me a bone and bring me to the most calm and level-headed man there ever was.

John Diggle. Here was a guy who I had no idea I couldn't live without. My knight in shining armor. He's basically my older brother now and best friend. I tell him everything and whenever I have any problem at all, he makes time just to listen to me and help however he can. 

The funny thing was, the first thing ever did to me was point a gun at me. 

Weird how the world works isn't is?

Anyways I told him why I was here and he immediately put the gun down. After that, we were on pretty good terms considering it was only the second time we had met. The first was when he and Oliver came to me to help take down a guy named the Count. Remember him because he's important later.

Dig, that's what everyone called him, had some medical training in the army so he knew how to patch him up. Sure, there were a few scares while we were waiting for him to wake up but we got through it. It had taken a few hours but during that time we had just sat and talked. 

John's practically an open book. He wears his emotions on his face. He told me some stories about his time in the army. After that, I had asked him about some of things Oliver had me do for them. Turns out one of them had been a favor Oliver was doing for him and he was thankful that I could help. Turns out there was a reason I was trusting Oliver. I guess I knew he was doing something good. It was a leap of faith but it was worth it. John even called me an honorary member of the team. That was when I saw the computers they were using. It hurt me in my soul so I gave them a little upgrade.

When Oliver woke up he hit the two of us with his usual coolness. Made a joke about how it was pretty cool that he didnt die. Again. He came over to thank me properly for saving his life. And for upgrading his system. After a few minutes he asked me to be a part of his little vigilante club.

I forgot to mention earlier that the winter before all of this, Walter Steele had been kidnapped when he got in to deep with the same people Oliver was trying to take down. So I signed on temporarily, just until we found him. I shook his hand and entered an entire new chapter of my life. Turns out that temporary position lasted a little while longer then that. From that point on my life got a little crazy and quite dangerous at some points. But it was, is, and always will be worth it. 

 

 

 

 


	3. My New Green Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha guess who couldn't stop writing.

**CHAPTER THREE- MY NEW GREEN FRIEND**

During that first week as the vigilantes little helper I picked up on a few things. 

One of them being that someone could practically live on coffee. I have always loved coffee but when I had started staying awake until three a.m. every day a week I realized I couldn't live without it. A good cup of it can keep me going for hours. It was my main energy source for keeping my eyes open. 

That week I was introduced to one of the greatest inventions of all time. The Salmon Ladder. If the coffee wasn't working for some reason then that was the other main reason I'd stay awake. Oliver was a master at it and would spend a lot of his free time working out on it. Shirtless. I remember coming into the foundry a few times during the early days and instead of him being on the ladder, he would be hanging from the ceiling. Not kidding, that man scared me the first time I saw him doing it. I didn't even notice he was above me until he called my name. I had looked straight up and there he was. Hanging from the ceiling like a freakin bat. So I learned that first week that walking in on a shirtless Oliver doing some insane workout was a pretty common, day to day experience. Not that I'm complaining.

There was a downside to that too though. I had noticed something else that I hadn't when I had first seen him without a shirt. I must have been too busy worrying about him dying on me that I didn't even stop to look at them. Oliver's body was covered in scars. When I say covered I really mean covered. He was a masterpiece of old bullet wounds, knife cuts, and god knows what else that never properly healed. 

When we got together, I used to trace my hand over them while we laid next to each other. It was my way of letting him know that no matter what he had to go through to get here, I would never love him less. There's a story behind each one. I only know a few. I don't think he ever wants me to know some of them. Those are the ones that drive his nightmares.

I never pushed him to tell me anything about them. He would open up when he wanted to.

Other then that, during my first few weeks on the team I was having a lot of fun. I mean a lot of fun. I got to do what I did best again and help people while I was at it. It kind of felt like I was a super spy. I hacked into anything and everything plus I'd be helping Oliver go on these awesome missions. I'd come up with these cool plans which I found out were different then the ones Oliver usually went with. I liked the more subtle, do something without anyone else knowing or suspecting anything, plans while he liked the, and I quote, "Putting the fear of God into people until they talked" approach. He was a charmer if you were on his good side but if you were on his bad side-you had another thing coming.

Despite being one of Starlings most handsome billionaire, Oliver Queen would never turn down a good six dollar burger. Specifically from this place called Big Belly Burger. If Oliver, John and I weren't at the foundry discussing how we spend our nights then we were in our usual booth there doing the exact same thing.

I learned a few more things about Oliver there. He liked to tell stories about his little sister Thea. I didn't really get close to Thea until the spring of 15' but we ended up becoming more than friends. She was like a little sister to me even before I married Oliver. He also told me stories of him and his best friend Tommy. I never really got to know the guy other then from his stories but he sounded like an all around nice man. Oliver really cared about him. 

My first time going out into the field was the kind of experience that usually made people rethink why they were doing something like this in the first place. We ended up catching the guy but not before I almost died along with everyone else around me. There was this jewel thief, he was called the dodger and for good reason. He could get away with his prize without getting his hands dirty. How? He put bomb collars around peoples neck. Our city wasn't the friendliest place to live. 

So of course, my first mission with the guys and I end up being the one with the bomb around my neck. Which wasn't the best experience of my life. 

But considering the fact that I'm still here and writing this means it could have been a lot worse. I ended up having to talk Oliver in while he went out after the thief. Even though I was still pretty scared I didn't really doubt that he would get the job done. Turns out it wasn't the last time he had to save my life.

We got closer throughout the following weeks. We got more and more information about something that was called the undertaking. The list Oliver had been using to find his targets were the same people who were involved in it. His mother was one of those people. Malcolm Merlyn was another. 

Thea was dating this kid named Roy who we had saved from his would be killer after he was kidnapped and broadcasted on live television. The Hood had killed the man who did it. Remember Roy too because he becomes very important in a few months.

John and Oliver had this kind of big fight though. Floyd Lawton was back in town and John thought he was the man who killed his brother. He had expected Oliver to help him catch him but it just so happened that gorgeous Laurel also happened to be in trouble. I'll admit I was pretty jealous of Laurel before we became friends.

So during that time where the two of them were at odds I had to go undercover in a mob casino. Oliver was waiting outside in case anything went wrong. If you haven't caught on by now, always assume something is going to go wrong. 

I of course end up being confronted by the casinos owner. The reason we were there was because we had suspected correctly that he had something to do with Walter Steeles disappearance. After a few minutes of conversation I end up with a gun held to my head while Oliver in full gear is standing in front of me with and arrow trained at the guys heart. He ended up ironically shooting the bullseye of a dart board behind the two of us which happened to be an explosive arrow and Alonzo, the jerk with a gun pointed at me, is forced to let go of me and crashes to the floor.

He had told us that he was the one who had kidnapped Walter but a few minutes after he delivered him, he heard a gunshot. We thought Walter was dead. Turns out he wasn't.

After all of this Dig and Oliver mend fences and the two become close again.

Now if you lived in Starling City then you remember exactly where you were when the earthquake of 13' hit. The attempt to level the Glades in one big move orchestrated by Malcolm Merlyn himself.

Me-I was in the foundry trying to talk Quentin Lance, who was just a detective at the time, about who to diffuse and earthquake machine. An actual earthquake machine. Oliver had told me to leave but I wasn't leaving if he wasn't.

He was off fighting against Merlyn and it was the first time I ever thought he wouldn't come back. And I was scared to death. I remember it just hitting me that he might not come back home and all of a sudden I started to cry.

I thought it was weird at the time. Sure we had gotten close over the past few months but here I was about to break down over a guy that I just had a crush on. I think that was the first night I realized it was more than that.

There were a few seconds where we had thought we had won that night. We stopped one of the machines only to find out there were two. One we couldn't stop. The foundry started to crash around me but I just kept on going on. 

By the end of the night, we thought Malcolm was killed. But other then that, 503 people were killed.

Including Oliver's best friend.

Everything we had done to stop this, and it was all a waste.

We had failed.

I didn't see Oliver for another five months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I know this one had a bit of a sad ending. I'd love to hear your guys thoughts on it though!


	4. Never a Dull Moment. Okay Maybe a Few.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I know it's been some time. But I hope you still like it!

**CHAPTER FOUR- NEVER A DULL MOMENT. OKAY MAYBE A FEW.**

Those five months were some of the worst of my life. I hadn't known Oliver that well but it just seemed weird not seeing him every day. I had gotten used to it and it had been nice. Really really nice. Throughout my life, I didn't really have any-I guess you can call them relationships with anyone. Of course, I always had my mom, but growing up outside of Vegas I didn't have many friendships. Before Oliver, my boyfriend in college was the last person I had a strong relationship with. I won't spoil too much but it didn't end well. Between him and my dad, who after he left when I was seven didn't show up again until I was an adult, I never really wanted a lot of people close to me. I guess I just always thought it would end with me being alone once more.

So that summer Oliver was gone was truly terrible. After the earthquake, which only happened because we had failed, I didn't really do much except work. Working for me has always been something I've done to cope with whatever had been going on with my life. It gave me something else to think about. 

I saw Diggle a lot that summer. That's when we really started to become close I think. I really did miss Oliver but I was happy I still had John. Dig always knew when I had something on my mind that was weighing on me. I think he was the first one to realize we were in love with each other. Maybe before we even knew it. 

Anyways John never really left my side. When we weren't searching the world for our vigilante friend, he took me to the movies or out to dinner. On nights I couldn't sleep I would stay up talking to him about-well everything. My latest projects, what show I was watching on TV, normal friend stuff. It had been a long time before I had a friend like Dig and even though Oliver was gone I was grateful I hadn't lost everyone again. And John didn't seem he was leaving anytime soon. He still hasnt.

After five months of searching, we finally found Oliver. It was a shock that we didn't find him earlier. Knowing him, Lian Yu should have been the first place we looked at. 

Which led the two of us on a plane at least 100 years old flying through a rainstorm. And then the skydiving. Which I will never do again. Never. And that wasn't even the half of it. The day ended with me stepping on, no joke, a landmine. It was pretty scary for a few seconds until someone appeared in the treetops. Shirtless. Oliver.

He did his Tarzan thing and swung down from a branch lifting me up with him. It ended with him on top of me. He was really sweating.

It took some convincing but after we filled him in on what was happening in Starling, his sister running his club and his mom about to go on trial for the undertaking and someone else trying to take over Queen Consolidated (Isabel Rochev. She was a total bitch), he was ready to come home. He just wasn't going to be the hood.

It didn't last long though. The vigilante part. In the span of a few days, I had the pleasure of jumping out of a window with Oliver and his sister then getting kidnapped. Oliver was finally back in the hood with a new mission. The list was gone. Oliver was ready to take on whatever criminal who tried to hurt his city. Without killing.

The first few months were pretty uneventful. Quiet for us. With Oliver back, I felt more like myself. The two of us even got closer since I was now working right next to him in both of our jobs.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention this but Oliver had made me his EA at QC once he back one of the CEO. Suffice it to say I was not happy. It did, however, ensue a few lunches together a week. Along with dinner down in the foundry. 

People in Starling knew of Oliver Queen but they didn't know him. He was different than what you would expect after reading the tabloids. He was actually a good guy to have a conversation with. He never really wanted to talk about himself so that's when he learned a few things about me. He liked hearing what stories I had to share.

Oh, I forgot to mention something pretty big. Sara Lance wasn't actually dead. Yeah, she was busy learning to be an assassin! She's a badass. At first, I was pretty jealous of her but now we're really close friends. When she's not off trying to fix time. I won't go into it yet. It's pretty trippy. 

The first big thing we had to do that fall as a team was fly to Russia and save a friend of Diggle. Who just so happened to be his ex-wife who none of us knew about.

There were a few scares but we had all come home safely. I was just a little pissed at Oliver. Of course the other CEO of QC just happened to tag along on our little trip and of course, Oliver had slept with her. I mean he had the right to do whatever he wanted but really? Her? Isabel only had to look she would give to a person. Either a mean glare or a judgmental eyeroll. No wonder she turned out to be evil.

That night I had talked to Oliver about. He had said something that stuck with me. "Because of what I do, I can't be with someone I really care about." I told him he deseved better. He did.

About a week later came Moira Queen's trial. And along with that, my personal run in with a pyschopathic killer. That night however, changed my entire life.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you guys think! I love reading your comments.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys like it so far! I'd love to here your thoughts on what you want to see!


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